The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, wants the Federal Government to provide Natural Disaster Funds to the state to mitigate the impact of disasters on the people.
He made the appeal when he received members of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, who are in the state for the 2026 Data Verification Exercise.
The governor told the team that a lot of natural disasters have befallen the state, requiring urgent assistance from the federal government.
“A lot of disasters have happened in this state. Wind and thunderstorms unroofed almost all the buildings inside this government house. The natural disaster is costing us huge resources to rebuild.
“Unfortunately, mining pits impose serious environmental hazards, which the state is remedying, yet we are not benefitting from them since mining licences are not granted by the state government. And so, this is why we are asking for the Natural Disaster Fund.”
He expressed optimism that the ongoing nationwide revenue data collection will boost the revenue accruing to the state.
This was contained in a statement issued on Monday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr Monday Uzor, and made available to journalists in Abakaliki.
Governor Nwifuru observed that poor data collection inadvertently yields errors which, if relied upon, can mislead, but expressed confidence in the calibre of members of the team.
“The confidence reposed in the commission is evident in the quality of people here because the commission has shown capacity and commitment in the discharge of its assignments.
“It will make sense if the collected data is updated and analysed to reflect current realities.”
Earlier, the team leader, Dr Henry Awuregu, explained that the visit was informed by the ongoing National Data Verification Exercise of the RMAFC.
Awuregu, who represents Ebonyi State in the commission, said revenue mobilisation is predicated on equity and fairness in the sharing of national resources.
“The revenue allocation system in Nigeria is built on a set of indices that seek to ensure fairness, equality and justice in the sharing of national resources. Over time, however, socioeconomic realities evolve, population dynamics change, infrastructure expands, developmental gaps shift and new challenges emerge. It therefore becomes imperative that the data underpinning these indices are periodically verified and updated to reflect present-day realities.
“Therefore, it has become necessary to validate the integrity and accuracy of the data that will ultimately inform the distribution of revenue across the federation.”
